Louisiana: Sports betting should begin soon

But an industry spokesman says some of the 20 established casinos should be able to take in-person bets sometime by mid-September, rather than around Thanksgiving.

The Gaming Control Board, without objection, approved emergency rules to go into effect Monday. The regulations allow the Big 20 casinos – on 15 riverboats, and at four racetracks as well as Harrah’s in New Orleans – to file their applications to handle sports betting in Louisiana.

The applications b egin a regulatory vetting process that will leads temporary licenses so that “sports wagering could get off the ground,” said Assistant Attorney General Dawn M. Himel, who presented the rules to the Board.

The emergency rules will remain in effect for 180 days and can be renewed for another 180 days, though Himel said she hopes to have the permanent regulatory procedures ready for approval before the first six-month period expires. The state’s rulemaking law requires time for public input and other procedural requirements. Though lawyers from the Department of Justice, the Louisiana State Police and the Gaming Control Board are at the forefront of the rules-making process, the emergency regulations got input from about 90 interest groups, including the casinos.

“Not everybody got what they wanted, but everybody got heard,” said Ronnie Johns, who chaired his first meeting as head of the Gaming Control Board.
Johns noted that Mississippi casinos have been offering sports betting for several years now. “This is brand new territory for us in Louisiana,” he said.
The first licenses will go to the Big 20 so-called “brick and mortar” casinos – all of whom are already licensed for different gambling games and regularly undergo suitability investigations. “I’m hopeful we’ll be able to get started by the middle of football season,” Johns said.

But the head of the casino industry’s trade association thinks that some of the Big 20 will be able to take bets as soon as mid-September at least from visitors to the casinos. Wade Duty, the executive director of Louisiana Casino Association, said many of his members have prepared applications and will file them soon. As they are already licensed, the vetting process will be quicker. “As far as timeline, I’d expect to see some of the brick and mortars ready by mid-September to take in-person, on premises,” he said.